Closure fastener for a radiographic film magazine



June 6, 1967 M. POETTEVIN 3,323,676 v CLOSURE FASTENER FOR ARADIOGRAPHIC FILM MAGAZINE Filed June 30, 1965 United States Patent3,323,676 CLOSURE FASTENER FUR A RADIOGRAPHKC FiLM MAGAZINE MauricePoittevin, Zola-Chaville, France, assignor to Society Laborix, Paris,France, a corporation of France Filled June 30, 1965, Ser. No. 468,311Claims priority, appiication France, July 16, 1964, 981,871 11 Claims.(El. 220-55) This invention relates in general to containers and casesand in particular to cases having locking devices.

Cases designed to hold radiological film disposed fiat within the case,at present, comprise a box, a lid and a locking device of thetranslating bolt type. This type of locking device requires theactivation of a translationally movable bolt to unlock the lid from thecase. The operation of thisbolt requires a certain amount of force andthe operation of moving the locking bolt is separate from, andadditional to the operation of lifting the lid of the case.Translationally movable bolts are at present placed on the outsidesurfaces of radiological cases and are subject to damage as a result ofshocks applied to the case during the course of various handlingprocedures. In addition, radiological cases with translationally movablebolts are subject to accidental opening of the case and to damage of thecase as a result of shocks applied either to the surface of the case orto the locking devices during handling procedures.

An object of this inventionis to provide a radiological case with alocking device arranged so that the locking device can be unlocked andthe lid of the case can be opened with manual-pressure exertedin asingle direction on a single portionof the locking device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a radiological case witha locking device arranged so that the locking device will notaccidentally unlock the lid of the case under the influence of a shockapplied to the wall of the case.

Another object of this invention is to provide a locking device for thelid of a case which can be closed and locked by pressure exerted in adirection tending to close the lid and can be unlocked and opened bypressure exerted in a direction tending to open the lid, thus combining,in a single operation, the operation of unlocking the lid and theoperation of opening the lid.

Another object of this invention is to provide a locking device whereinthe force required to open the locking device is less than the forcerequired to open locking devices of the translational bolt type andwherein the force required to open the locking device can be varied bysimple proportioning of the components of the locking device.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had byreferring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a radiological case according to theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a locking device according to theinvention, mounted on the lid of the radiological case.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the locking device shown in the closedposition.

The radiological case represented in FIG. 1 comprises a lid 1 and a flatbox 1 on the bottom of which we place the radiological film. The frontedge 2 of the box 1 is provided on its inner face with a notch 3 overwhich there projects a stop 4 (FIG. 3), fixed to the inner face of thecase by means of a rivet 5. The stop 4 and the notch 3 form a catch forthe pivoting lock which will be described below.

On the rear edge 7 of the box 1' there is disposed a hinge 8 whichserves to articulate the lid 1 to the case. The outer flat surface ofthe lid is sufiiciently depressed below the edges of the box so that inthe closed position no part of the lid projects beyond the edges of thebox. Against the inner surface of the lid there is attached an elasticpad 9 (FIG. 2), made for example of cellular plastic material coveredwith a sheet of semi-rigid material, the whole being designed tocompress the radiological film flat and uniformly against the bottom ofthe flat box 1'. The lid presses, in closed position, with its elasticlining, on the lateral bars 1t) represented in FIG. 1, which areprovided at opposite sides of the case.

The pivoting locks represented in FIG. 1, are identical and are eachfixed to the front edge 11 of the lid and each is disposed between twoconvexities 12 which project with respect to the flat outer surface ofthe lid. Between the convexities 12 there is disposed an axis 13 (FIG. 2and FIG. 3), around which there pivots a bent blade 20 with an endcurved in the form of a hook 6. To the bottom surface of blade 20 thereis welded a second blade 14 (FIG. 3) in such a way as to form a hinge inwhich there is engaged the axis 13. The rear end 15 of blade 14 isslightly curved downward, while the lower face 16 of blade 14 rests flatagainst the surface of the lid 1 and is supported by means of a stop 17fastened on the lid. Alternatively, instead of stop 17, the slightlycurved end 15 of blade 14 may be used to support. the blades 14 and 2%)on the surface of lid 1.

The hook shaped blade 20 is activated on its inner face by a leaf spring18 having free play in a recess 19 formed inside the thickness of thelid 1. The closed and locked position of the lid 1 is obtained by simplepressure on the outer surface of the lid 1 in a direction tending toclose the lid. In the closed and locked position the hook 6 engages innotch 3 and its locking is insured on the one hand by spring 18 whichholds it in place, and on the other handby stop 4. The lid is opened bysimply raising the free end of the blade 20 thus compressing the leafspring 18 and pivoting hook 6 away from notch 3 and stop 4.

The pressure required to open the lid, from the locked position, can bechanged by either one or by a combination of the followingmodifications: changing the mechanical advantage of the lever formed byblade 20 by lengthening or by shortening the end of the blade oppositethe hook 6, or changing the stiffness of the spring 18.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown by way ofexample in the drawing and as herein particularly described, it will beunderstood that modifications in construction may be made within thescope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patents is:

1. A case for radiographic film comprising: a box having a bottom, afront side, and a rear side, a lid having an inner and an outer surface,a front edge and a rear edge, with the lid covering the box andconnected to the rear side of the box by means of a hinge, pivotalmounting means on the outer surface of the lid located at the front edgeof the lid, a blade having a first end, a second end and an intermediateportion with the intermediate portion pivotally mounted in the pivotalmounting means, with the first end in the form of a hook and with thesecond end forming an operating portion, a catch located on the insidesurface of the front side of the box and disposed so as to cooperatewith the hook portion of the blade, thus locking the blade to the frontside of the box until pivotal motion of the operating portion causes thehook to swing away from the catch, thus unlocking the lid from the frontside of the box.

2. A case for radiographic film as in claim 1, wherein the lid isdisposed so that the sides of the box project beyond the surface of thelid when the lid is in the closed position.

3. A case for radiographic film as in claim 1, wherein the pivotalmounting means are disposed so that the blade has pivotal motion in aplane perpendicular to the plane of the outer surface of the lid.

4. A case for radiographic film, comprising a rectangular, open boxhaving a bottom portion, a front portion, a rear portion and two sideportions, a lid having an inner and an outer surface, a front edge and arear edge, with the lid covering the box and disposed so that the front,rear and side portions of the box project beyond the outer surface ofthe lid when the lid is in the closed position, a hinge connecting therear portion of the box and the rear edge of the lid, pivotal mountingmeans disposed on the outer surface of the lid and located at the frontedge of the lid, 21 blade having a first end and a second end and anintermediate portion, with the intermediate portion pivotally mounted onthe outer surface of the lid, with the first end in the form of a hookand with the second end forming an operating portion, a catch located onthe inside surface of the front portion of the box and disposed so as tocooperate with the hook portion of the blade thus locking the blade tothe first portion of the box, biasing means located on the lid anddisposed so as to exert a force on the hook tending to maintain the hookengaged in the catch, thus locking the lid to the front portion of thebox until a force on the operating portion of the blade directed awayfrom the lid causes pivotal motion of the blade, overcomes the biasingforce and causes the hook to swing away from the catch, thus unlockingthe lid from the front portion of the box and tends to swing open thelid.

5. A case for radiographic film as in claim 4, wherein the pivotalmounting means comprises: a pair of convexities projecting beyond theouter surface of the lid and an axle having 2 ends with each endconnected to one of the oonvexitics and with the axle mounted parallelto the front edge of the lid.

6. A case for radiographic film as in claim 5, wherein the blade isdisposed so as to lie between the convexities when in the lockedposition with the convexities thus serving to protect the blade when theblade is in the locked position.

7. A case for radiographic film as in claim 4, wherein the biasing meanscomprises a resilient element.

8. A case for radiographic film as in claim 7, wherein the biasing meanscomprises a campered leaf spring.

9. A case for radiographic film as in claim 4, wherein the bladecomprises an upper plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, afirst and a second end and an intermediate portion, with the first endof the upper plate bent in the form of a hook, and a lower platefastened to the bottom surface of the top plate with the lower platehaving a first end and a second end, with the first end of the lowerplate disposed adjacent to the intermediate portion of the upper plateand with the first end of the lower plate forming a hinge for pivotallymounting the blade with the second end of the upper plate projectingbeyond the second end of the lower plate and with the second end of thelower plate curved away from the bottom surface of the upper plate.

10. A case for radiographic film as in claim 9, wherein the lidcomprises a stop block mounted on the upper surface of the lid anddisposed between the hinge of the blade and the second end of the lowerplate of the blade, and serving to bear against and locate the bladewhen the blade is in the locked position.

11. A case for radiographic film as in claim 4, comprising a lateral barlocated at the junction between the side portion of the box and thebottom portion of the box, having a surface which is both parallel tothe inner surface of the side portion and at an acute angle to thebottom portion of the box.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1906 Anderson 220-55 11/1966Maize et al. 292-128

1. A CASE FOR RADIOGRAPHIC FILM COMPRISING: A BOX HAVING A BOTTOM, AFRONT SIDE, AND A REAR SIDE, A LID HAVING AN INNER AND AN OUTER SURFACE,A FRONT EDGE AND A REAR EDGE, WITH THE LID COVERING THE BOX ANDCONNECTED TO THE REAR SIDE OF THE BOX BY MEANS OF A HINGE, PIVOTALMOUNTING MEANS ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE LID LOCATED AT THE FRONT EDGEOF THE LID, A BLADE HAVING A FIRST END, A SECOND END AND AN INTERMEDIATEPORTION WITH THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN THE PIVOTALMOUNTING MEANS, WITH THE FIRST END IN THE FORM OF A HOOK AND WITH THESECOND END FORMING AN OPERATING PORTION, A CATCH LOCATED ON THE INSIDESURFACE OF THE FRONT SIDE OF THE BOX AND DISPOSED SO AS TO COOPERATEWITH THE HOOK PORTION OF THE BLADE, THUS LOCKING THE BLADE TO THE FRONTSIDE OF THE BOX UNTIL PIVOTAL MOTION OF THE OPERATING PORTION CAUSES THEHOOK TO SWING AWAY FROM THE CATCH, THUS UNLOCKING THE LID FROM THE FRONTSIDE OF THE BOX.